


The World Goes on Without Us

by KrishaWritesStuff (helloitskrisha)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Adventure, Because News Writers Are Important in the Underworld, Embracing Weirdness, Fantasy, Gen, Humor, Stuck in Limbo, The power of friendship, Undead Journalism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:40:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23853961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helloitskrisha/pseuds/KrishaWritesStuff
Summary: A young writer wakes up and finds herself in Limbo. Remembering a pact she made with her best friend, she tries to help both of them ascend to Heaven. But perhaps, there is still much for her to do in this in-between state…After all, even specters have bills to pay.(Also featuring cute ghost dogs, underworld welcoming committees, newspapers for the undead, and other fun stuff)
Relationships: Undead Writer & Undead Researcher
Comments: 12
Kudos: 9





	The World Goes on Without Us

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Night0w1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Night0w1/gifts).



> This is a gift for my best friend in the whole world. It’s set in her “Limbo” universe. This can be read as a standalone story, but I’d still love it if you guys checked out her works too!

I woke up in an unfamiliar place, the scent of pine cones and pumpkins invading my senses. Without opening my eyes, I grasped at the ground below me. Smooth grass. Crunchy leaves. All the tell-tale signs of autumn.

_Autumn?_ I sat up, startled. _How could it be autumn? I live in a tropical country. Our only “seasons” are hot, rainy, and super hot. Where am I?_

Before I could further contemplate my odd situation, my thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of barking. I turned my head and found two dogs running toward me. My heart was immediately filled with warmth as they jumped onto my lap and showered my face with their puppy kisses.

“KIM! CHI!” I cried as I hugged my fur babies. Kim was still her happy, bubbly self, wagging her fluffy brown tail happily as she licked my face. My curly-haired Chi was more reserved, though I could see how much he missed me. 

“I’m glad to see that you three found each other,” said a low, gravelly voice.

I looked up and was startled to see a centaur standing before me. The top half of his body reminded me of a businessman. He wore a white button-up shirt, a black blazer, and a red necktie. The bottom half, though, was full horse but he still wore four-legged pants, specially fitted to his form, to preserve his modesty.

“Am I dreaming?” I blinked.

The centaur chuckled, “No, I’m afraid this is all very real. Welcome to Limbo, Aurelie.”

As I processed his words, he bent down to pet Chi, who licked his hand. Kim started barking when a strong gust of wind flew past us and made the orange leaves fall from the tree I was sitting under.

“Limbo…” I whispered, “Does this mean that I’m…”

“Yes,” the centaur immediately replied, “you’re a specter now, living in the In-Between. It’s still part of the Underworld.”

Chi noticed how distressed I was and immediately lied down next to me, resting his head on my lap. I noticed then that his form changed, suddenly becoming transparent and ghost-like, but when I scratched his ear, he nuzzled closer and transformed into his former self again. Kim was too busy playing with the leaves on the ground, her form shifting between “normal dog” and “skeleton puppy” in between barks.

“So, if I’m a specter… I have to know, is Amelie here too? She’s my best friend and we promised each other that we’d be together no matter what!”

The centaur bent down and extended his hand to me, “All of your questions will be answered soon, but, first, you’ll have to come with me.”

.

It turns out that the Underworld had a Welcoming Party for all new souls stuck in Limbo. I found myself seated in a classroom that was decorated with various macabre party favors. There were skull punch bowls and a coffin filled with cookies.

A large banner that said “WELCOME TO YOUR DEATH! ENJOY YOUR STAY IN LIMBO!!” was plastered at the front of the classroom entrance. 

A stern-looking harpy was handing out brochures to all the new souls, and I started reading it. Rules like “Specters who can’t fly are allowed to use the elevators” and “Sleep is allowed but unnecessary because you’re dead” stood out to me.

Soon, we were all asked to be quiet as the centaur who led me here walked to the desk in front of the classroom. He began setting up his laptop and, even, without any projectors, we could see the images on his screen pop up from the device.

“Hello everyone! My name is Mr. Equus, and I’ll be your guide to Limbo. I know that most of you are confused about why you’re here, but I assure you that everything will make sense if you only listen to me closely. I have prepared a special PowerPoint presentation!”

All of the souls around me groaned. Even Kim and Chi barked in protest. One guy shouted, “Not another PowerPoint presentation!”

But Mr. Equus ignored them all and happily started his lecture.

“What is Limbo, you ask?” He started as pictures of ghouls appeared from the screen, “Well, it’s not like the stories you likely grew up believing. Because it is a mixture of ALL OF THE STORIES. You see, Limbo is a special place in the Underworld that is governed by different gods and goddesses, from Hades to Anubis to Arawn and more! We are a very inclusive community. No matter your beliefs or religion, you are welcome here in Limbo!”

A shy-looking teenaged girl, seated in front of me, raised her hand. “Um, Mr. Equus… I died in a car crash with my mom. Is she here in Limbo too? May I see her please?”

Mr. Equus adjusted his glasses and smiled softly at the girl, “My dear, your mother is here too and she’s safe, I promise you. But you can’t see her yet… Everyone in Limbo is here because of unfinished business. And each one must go on his or her own journey.”

My heart started beating loudly. Is that why Amelie isn’t here with me? Do we have to go on separate journeys? But I was looking forward to spending time with her and navigating this strange place together!

As if reading my mind, Mr. Equus spoke, “Yes, you and your loved ones have been separated for now. But only until you each complete your respective quests. Then, you will be reunited and you can choose to stay here or ascend to Heaven.”

Everyone kept quiet after that, and Mr. Equus continued his presentation as though the atmosphere weren’t rife with melancholy and tension. 

To be honest, I was only half-listening to the rest of the lecture. My mind could not concentrate. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make myself care about how all four seasons are happening at the same time in Limbo or the heights and widths of building structures here are never-ending. 

All I could think about was how I could find Amelie as soon as possible and get the hell out of here.

Before I could fully retreat into my mind, Mr. Equus slammed his laptop shut and gave everyone a big smile, “And that concludes the lecture! Now for your job assignments…”

Job assignments? THE HELL? We still have to _work_ in Limbo?!

.

All the souls had to form a line and Mr. Equus handed each one a binder that was supposedly a manual on their assigned career in Limbo. I was the last one in line and Mr. Equus handed my binder to me with a flourish.

“Um, so what exactly will I be doing in my job?” I asked hesitantly.

Mr. Equus smiled, “You were a writer when you were alive, right?”

“Well, yeah. Sort of.” I whispered.

My dream was to be an author, though I didn’t exactly know how to get published. And I was terrible at setting deadlines for my creative works. So, I tried going for a more practical career as a copywriter. But freelancing didn’t work all that well for me either...

Mr. Equus interrupted my thoughts, “We’ve made sure that all specters get a job that matches their skill sets. You, my dear, will be our newest writer for the Limbo Daily Tribune!”

“You… you want me to write the news?”

“Of course! The newspaper is important to Limbo. We use it to send announcements and special holiday reminders... and who doesn’t love reading juicy gossip about their neighbors? All of our citizens need to be informed about the goings-on here!”

With a snap of his fingers, Mr. Equus made a notepad appear in my hand. I also noticed that there were cameras attached to Kim and Chi’s backs. “They will be your news crew,” he said with a grin.

“Okay, but why give me a notepad without a pen? And why can’t I have a laptop instead?”

“Hush, hush,” Mr. Equus said, “That’s a special notepad! You don’t need a pen to write in it. You just transfer your thoughts onto the page with magic!”

“You didn’t answer my question about the laptop.”

“Only _I_ get to make PowerPoint presentations in this place!” Mr. Equus snapped.

When he noticed how I recoiled from him, he cleared his throat, “Sorry for the outburst. My laptop is my most prized possession. A gift from Hades himself. So, sorry, I can’t give you a laptop.”

“Alright… Well, I should go start my job now… But can I ask you a question first?”

“Sure, dear.”

“How is Amelie doing?” I asked softly.

He smiled at me, probably the most sincere and genuine smile I’ve seen from him yet, “She’s doing very well. She’s working as a researcher, studying humans and animals from different worlds. For now, you should worry about your own quests. Sooner or later, your path and Amelie’s will cross.”

I thanked him and then strode off, Kim and Chi by my side, to find my first story. If I had to complete quests to find Amelie faster, then I will be the most successful undead journalist there ever was!


End file.
